Reference

All students are requested to arrive at the centre Between 14.00 and 17.00 on the day the course begins. When registration is completed a light meal will be served, followed by an introductory talk before the course begins. The course will finish at approximately 7.30 a.m. on the last day. All students, whether old or new, are asked to remain until the end of the course. Old students are not allowed to leave the centre during Metta Day (Day 10) except in an emergency or when previously agreed with the Assistant Teachers.

All the routes to Dhamma Sacca finish in Candaleda, the nearest village, which is 3.8 km from the centre. The three main access roads are from Talavera de la Reina (66km), Ávila (104 km) and Madrid (188km). Below are details of different means of transport and routes to arrive at Dhamma Sacca.

By car

From Madrid:
From M-30 take route A-5 to Badajoz. Take exit 148 (Oropesa, Lagartera, Madrigal de la Vera Candeleda) at the roundabout take second exit onto CM5150. Continue for about 27 kilometers (13 miles) onto AV-910. After 3km at the roundabout (at left third exit) take CL-501, direction to Madrigal de la Vera/Plasencia at Km 85.5 there is a sign “ CENTRO DE MEDITACION VIPASSANA” follow the guardrail, at left there is a dirt road.
About 600 meters ( ⅓ mile ) to the center entrance. 2h 15 minutes aprox. With no traffic. No tolls on the route.
From Ávila: Take N-502, at Ramacastanas about 60 kilometers (35 miles) take the route Cuevas del Avila/AV708. at next roundabout take first exit to CL-501 direction to Candeleda/ Plasencia. At Km 85.5 there is a sign “ CENTRO DE MEDITACION VIPASSANA” follow the guardrail, at left there is a dirt road about 600 meters (⅓ mile) to the center entrance.
Another route is: Take N-403 and after CL-501.
From Barcelona: Take AP-7 then AP-2 and A-2 to Madrid. From madrid take M-30 and see instructions “Route from Madrid”.
From Lisbon (Portugal): Take A2 then A6 and E-90/A5 toward Caceres/Cordoba/Madrid. On A-5 take exit 148 to (Oropesa, Lagartera, Madrigal de la Vera Candeleda) at the roundabout take second exit onto CM5150. Continue for about 27 kilometers (13 miles) onto AV-910. After 3km at the roundabout (at left third exit) take CL-501, direction to Madrigal de la Vera/Plasencia at Km 85.5 there is a sign “ CENTRO DE MEDITACION VIPASSANA” follow the guardrail, at left there is a dirt road about 600 meters ( ⅓ mile ) to the center entrance.
Using GPS or SatNav best codes are: Latitude 40.143593, Longitude -5.292133

SatNav

The postcode of the centre is ES 05480. The GPS co-ordinates are: Latitude 40.1476167 Longitude: -5.284953

Public Transport

The only way to complete the last stage of the journey to Dhamma Sacca is by bus. This method can be combined with others (plane, train). Below are different ways to get to Dhamma Sacca, it is likely that you will have to combine different means, depending on where you are coming from.

Direct bus from Madrid

For the start and end days of the 10-day courses and Satipatthāna, a direct bus service is offered from Madrid to the Dhamma Sacca center.

The bus leaves at 14:00 from the bus stop at C/ Méndez Álvaro 12-14, but on the sidewalk in front (Atocha Renfe station). The bus will be identified with a sign "Meditación Vipassana".

On the website, you can see the price of the round-trip ticket from Madrid to Dhamma Sacca (non-refundable fee), which is payable at the time of booking. At the end of the course, the bus will leave at 9:15 am and will arrive at Atocha train station around 11:30 am.

The sale closes at 10:00 a.m. on the day the course starts. To buy a ticket on this coach, click here: direct bus. If you want to get more information or if you have any questions about this service you can write to [email protected]

Direct bus Madrid - Dhamma Sacca

Public Bus

The main bus routes to Dhamma Sacca are:

From Madrid - Príncipe Pio to Candeleda. SAMAR Line 904. Avoid taking bus services with arrival times to Candeleda outside registration hours, later than 17:00.
From Madrid - South Station to Candeleda (via Arenas de San Pedro). SAMAR Line 801. Also check timetables Madrid - South Station to Arenas de San Pedro, since it offers a higher frequency of buses than Candeleda; making a change, take the 16:30 bus from Arenas de San Pedro to Candeleda (Ávila to Candeleda Line only on weekdays), with arrival time at Candeleda Station at 17:00. It is also possible to combine the bus arriving at Arenas de San Pedro with the taxi to get to Dhamma Sacca. Avoid taking bus services with arrival times in Candeleda outside registration hours, later than 17:00.
From Talavera de la Reina to Candeleda. SAMAR Line 904.
From Ávila to Candeleda (through Arenas de San Pedro). MUÑOZ TRAVEL. Bear in mind that access to Dhamma Sacca from Ávila is only possible on weekdays from Monday to Friday, subject to the bus service; the only daily service leaves Ávila at 3:00 p.m. and arrives at Candeleda station at 5:00 p.m. This bus line can be combined with the Madrid - Avila railway line.
From Madrid - South Station to Oropesa de Toledo. AVANZABUS Madrid South Station Line - Oropesa de Toledo - Cáceres. This line must necessarily be combined with a taxi from Oropesa de Toledo to Dhamma Sacca.

Other possible bus routes are: Barcelona - Talavera de la Reina - Zafra Not a regular service, depending on Public Holidays.

Lisbon to Badajoz. Three companies operate the route from Lisbon to Badajoz. Alsa Internacional, Avanza and Flixbus. From Badajoz there is a train to Talavera de la Reina, you can consult the timetable. To get to the train station form the bus station you can take the city bus C1 (from the Vicente Algaba bus stop to the Carolina Coronado bus stop) or the city bus C2 (from the Jacobo Pereira bus stop to the Carolina Coronado bus stop).

Seville to Mérida. Line 0101. It is possile to get a train from Merida to Talavera de la Reina. The distance from the bus station to the train station in Merida is about 1.6 km.

Links:

http://estacionbustalaveradelareina.com

http://estacionautobusesmadrid.com

http://estacionautobusesavila.com

‍Pickup from Candeleda Bus Station

On the first day of the course the centre vehicle will come and pick you up from Candeleda bus station. Please do not try to walk from here, as there is no pavement on the road.

The pickup service operates with the arrival of the 801 and 904 buses from Madrid and Talavera de la Reina.

By Plane

There are domestic flights from most Spanish airports to Madrid. AENA

The nearest international airport to Dhamma Sacca is Madrid. AENA

From Madrid airport there are various public transport options:

A short distance train connects Madrid airport (Terminal T4) to Atocha and Príncipe Pio stations, from where you can get to the two main bus stations in Madrid, Estacion Sur and Príncipe Pio.
From Atocha you can get to the direct bus service to Dhamma Sacca, see the bus links.

By Train

AVE (high speed train) to Madrid
Badajoz - Mérida - Talavera de la Reina - Madrid line. The Badajoz and Talavera de la Reina connections make it possible to combine with the Lisbon bus. From Badajoz the 07.17 train is recommended, from Mérida the 8.03. To connect with the bus from Talavera de la Reina to Candeleda, there is a distance of 1km between the train station and the bus station.
Rail connection with Ávila. Connections to Valladolid, Salamanca, León and San Sebastian. Connection to the bus from Ávila to Candeleda. Ávila bus station is 400 metres from the train station. Remember that it is only possible to get to Dhamma Sacca from Ávila from Monday to Friday (not holidays) and that the only service leaves Ávila at 15.00.

By taxi

Useful means of transport for short journeys:

Candeleda - Dhamma Sacca

Oropesa de Toledo - Dhamma Sacca

Arenas de San Pedro - Dhamma Sacca

Share your pre-arranged taxi with other students at Dhamma Sacca.

Carpooling noticeboard

Return Journey

Sometimes a carshare with other students is possible. There will be a list of rides offered and wanted at the end of the course. You can consult the Information link for Dhamma Sacca.

Public transport works to a regular schedule from Monday to Friday. At weekends there is an irregular service with fewer options, usually in the nearest villages. Consult the timetables for public transport for weekends and holidays.

Contact

Day 0 of the course, centre vehicle for the journey from Candeleda bus station:

+34 673 762 723

If you have any queries about te journey to the Centre, please write to [email protected]